All the tips and tricks needed to shape up for 2012. Each day brings new, expert advice on how to look your best and live life to the fullest, while having a little fun doing it.

Personal Care

Day

8

Rigors of Shaving

Every time you shave, you drag a sharp blade across your face, around your neck, dipping into small crevices around your chin and under your nose. It's no wonder shaving comes with a myriad of potential problems. Herewith, the most common shaving concerns and how to treat them.

Razor Burn

What: Inflamed and irritated skin.

Why: Pressing too hard, using a dull razor or shaving on dry skin.

Treatment: Use a non-irritating shaving cream (look for hypo-allergenic versions labeled "for sensitive skin" like Art of Shaving) and switch to a simple, single-blade razor. Avoid shaving over the same area twice. If the redness persists, take a day or two off between shaves.

Razor Bumps

What: Red or white pimple-like bumps or ingrown hairs.

Why: Coarse strands of hair curl back on themselves and bury into the skin.

Treatment: When shaving, don't stretch skin, use as few strokes as possible and only shave in the direction of the hair growth. An astringent with allantoin like Anthony Logistics can help with the swelling and redness. For ingrown hairs you can see beneath the skin, use a pair of clean tweezers to pull it out.

Nicks

What: Cuts, pierced pimples or small slices of skin.

Why: Careless shaving against the grain, swiping the blade sideways on skin or dull razors.

Treatment: Rinse with cold water and apply a moistened alum block, an age-old remedy. Bloc Osma's uses potassium to clean the wound and close the pores and natural alum, which shrinks the capillaries to stop the bleeding.